Avengers Assemble
by Dustfingers-Angel
Summary: (Featuring my OC) SHIELD calls in the Avengers to save Earth, everything doesn't exactly go easily for Amanda. Part of my Amanda West series. Disclaimer; I don't own Marvel. mentions of injury in early chapters, injury later in fic
1. Beginning of a Bad Week

I was screaming down my com, "Fury?! Hill?! Barton?! What the Hell's going on?!" The whole base with trembling, "Someone tell me what in Hell's name is going on right now!"

The line crackled. "West- I- Fury- Tessaract- Barton-"

"Maria, is that you? What's happening?"

"Find Barton- in danger- threat- through- portal- extremely dangerous"

"Maria you're breaking up"

"Barton- in danger. External threat-"

"Got it" I ran round the hall, gun in hand. Cracks chased me down the hall. I could hear guns firing in off in front of me, and explosions. I skidded round the corner to see three cars in pursuit of one of our own; there was gun fire from all cars.

I came to a stop, there were no remaining cars and I'd never catch up. The base was beginning to crumble around me. "Barton" I barked trying to focus on the com in my ea r above the noise of everything around me, "Can you hear me? I need some kind of response" I began to walk along the exit road, "Make a sound, please Clint. Come on." Bit's of ceiling fell down around me as I started to jog, "Dammit, answer me the whole place is coming down! Are you in one of the cars?"

Larger pieces began to fall, "Clint?!" I raised my arms above my head to protect myself but tripped over rubble, crashing to the floor. I tried to get to my feet but I was too late. I saw the slab of concrete and steel falling but there was nothing I could do.

There was a moment of pain, then I was waking up in hospital.


	2. Day 1

I stood on the deck of the Helicarrier. Tasha had told me to wait on Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner and make sure they get in alright; I'd never met either man before and I was interested in seeing what they were like outside of their files.

Turning round to observe the rest of the deck, I saw an anxious looking man glancing around him, taking very specific notice of any agent in the vicinity that was obviously carrying a gun. When he looked up I recognised him immediately from his profile. Dark hair, tall, broad but not built like the agents, he looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world than here. Putting my hands in my pockets, I approached him from across the deck.

"Doctor Banner?" His head snapped up. I smiled as I walked closer, trying not to look as intimidating as I felt. "Agent Amanda West" I caught the look in his eyes when I said 'agent', trying to lighten the mood I laughed "Don't worry, I'm not the average S.H.I.E.L.D. mutt, Doctor"

He chuckled sceptically, "Good to know. Um, do you mind just- just calling me Bruce, please?"

I smiled, "Of course, as soon as Captain Rogers gets here I'll see you both inside and show you to your lab"

At that he perked up, "I have a lab?"

"From what I understand you wouldn't be much use without one"

He smiled and unfolded his arms, relaxing a little. "So, Amanda, how come you weren't the agent dragging me out of India? Did they decide your life wasn't worth risking by sending you to bring me in? I've seen they way the other agents look at you, you're clearly important"

"Important," I laughed quietly, "Um, let's just say I'm well known around here… Actually, I was supposed to be the agent '_bringing you in_', but I was under house arrest in intensive care after having the majority of an underground base fall on my head"

"Oh"

"No, it's okay – I've had worse. It was really just concusion and a few hairline fractures, nothing to worry about"

He looked at me as if I had just said having my head chopped off was little more than a flesh wound. "But you're… better now?"

"Passed my health eval's with full marks, I'm fine"

"Well, that's good I guess"

I laughed, brushing it off; injures were nothing that bothered me. Right now, Clint was my main concern. "So" Bruce mused "The 'Avengers Initiative'? Do you know who else is stuck with me in that or is it all classified even for someone as '_well known_' as you?"

"Avengers?" I looked up at him with a smile, "Well, there's Agent Romanoff who I believe you've met; another Agent – Clinton Barton – he's… he's not here right now; Steve Rogers is Captain America, we're just waiting for him; Tony Stark is Iron Man but you probably knew that, he's on his way; and then there's you and me"

"Oh," he smiled "sorry, I didn't realise you were part of the personality cocktail" he joked cheerfully.

"Nah, its fine, Bruce – anybody who's heard that I'm included thinks I'm too young for the job"

Bruce considered me for a moment, "So, um, how old _are_ you?"

I raised an eyebrow before answering "Never ask a woman their age, Doctor Banner – surely you know that. Let's just say I'm the youngest fully trained operative in S.H.I.E.L.D. history" I smiled, "I've been within S.H.I.E.L.D. since I was four"

"_Four_?!"

"Yeah" I said slowly. "Four when they took me in, trained by seven, on missions by eight"

"Uh, wow"

We stood awkwardly for a moment then Bruce opened his mouth to say something, but was promptly interrupted by;

"Agent West?"

I turned to see Steve Rogers advancing across the deck towards us. Wow, he was taller in real life… and _much_ more attractive "Captain Rogers, Sir; it's an honour. Good to see you awake." I'd spend my life in S.H.I.E.L.D. being raised on stories of Captain America from Phil Coulson – I was literally meeting the character from my childhood bedtime stories. The soldier shook my hand before shaking hands with Bruce, who became more awkward than before.

"Thanks" he smiled charmingly before looking to Bruce "Steve Rogers" he introduced himself.

"Bruce Banner"

"Word is you can find the Cube"

"That the only word on me?"

"Only word I care about. Agent West, I was told you would be showing us inside?"

I nodded "Yes, and, uh, just Amanda please"

"Amanda, alright" he nodded and smiled, "Then just Steve for me too"

The Helicarrier started up, the water getting forced violently out of the way of the propellers. Steve and Bruce stepped back on instinct, "What's going on?" Steve yelled over the sound of the propellers.

"Is this a sub?" Bruce asked with concern, sarcastically commenting "Oh, great, they want me in a submerged, pressurised metal container"

As the Helicarrier began to lift slightly, the two men stepped forward a tad to look over the edge. Quickly Bruce realised what the Helicarrier was, "Oh no, this is much worse"

I turned back in the direction of the door with a smile on my face, "Come on boys, this way" I called. "It's going to get a little hard to breathe out here."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"In here" I held the door open for the quiet scientist. Looking around, he walked in then I followed. "Director Fury's just informed me that you'll be sharing with Tony Stark, apparently one of the juniors blew up the other lab."

"Oh well" Bruce muttered "how bad can it be?"

I laughed, "I'm not going to answer that"

He raised an eyebrow, "That bad?"

"Just wait and see what he's like today – Stark can be a _bit_ full on. Not exactly one I'd recommend to keep the blood pressure down, if he's having one of his… _phases_."

"Oh, alright then."

"Ah, just show him that you've got as much authority here as he does and he _should_ be fine"

He nodded. Bruce wandered around the lab looking at the different toys that S.H.I.E.L.D. had so generously left for him to play with. I watched him for a while as he inspected the computers and gadgets, but decided that I'd best go.

"I'll show Stark in when I find him" I called to Bruce as I went to leave.

"Oh" he said looking up, "Are you going? Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you, I just…" he gestured vaguely around the room.

"No it's fine" I smiled, the scientist had become embarrassed and he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"Amanda, you can… I mean, _stay_… if you want, if you're not busy- not needed elsewhere, spy stuff and that, em…" he stumbled over the words.

I found myself grinning, "Okay." Bruce frowned and tilted his head a little; his mouth began to form the word 'what' as he hesitated, confused. "_Okay_ Bruce, I'll stay"

Bruce grinned happily. I walked across the lab and perched beside him on the work bench. Bruce was a bit older than most of the guys I'd ever been interested in, a lot quieter, much calmer and more collected, but I could feel myself being drawn to him in a strange, subtle way. Bruce smiled at me, "So, how long am I being kept here?"

"As soon as we have the Tesseract, we'll get you on a jet and send you home"

He nodded, "Is flying a jet on, what I'm guessing, is your extensive list of talents?" Bruce smirked, making me giggle.

"I _can_, but was that flattery I heard, Doctor Banner?"

"It's not flattery if it's true. There were mentions of you on my flight over, you definitely seem quite impressive. I believe the word used was 'magical', but i got the impression that it was meant more literally than I first though."

I blushed, laughed and nodded. I could deal with Clint being a flirt constantly, but with someone like Bruce Banner it was odd. The doors opened behind us and Tony Stark walked in. I hopped down off the desk, "Mr Stark" I said with a smile.

He smirked, "Amanda isn't it?"

"Yes, Agent Amanda West – it's good to see you again"

"Looks like the calculations are complete. Should I watch my ass or are you past that?"

"That entirely depends on whether you deserve getting your ass set on fire, Mr Stark" I grinned.

He laughed, "The Director's looking for you" he smirked. I hadn't seen Tony since I'd helped him with the creation of the element that he now used for his arc reactor. He was odd, a little big headed but good.

"Good to know. Later boys" I smiled and left, only glancing back to offer Bruce a kind smile. I knew that this would be where the fun begins.


	3. Family truths

I sat in silence in the jet on the way back from Stuttgart. Loki sat opposite me, studying me with a curious glint in his eyes, sending shivers down my spine. The others had stood at the front of the Jet, leaving me alone with him. There was something there, something other than the fact he murdered eighty people, something other than he had taken Clint; something that made me incredibly uncomfortable around him.

Loki glanced towards the front of the Jet before he leant forwards to me, "What is it, I wonder, that makes them isolate you like this? Leave such a fragile young creature alone with a monster such as I?"

I ignored him.

"Or is it because they consider you a monster too?"

I didn't look at him. I stared at the floor.

"A friend of yours says that you are not what you seem, Miss Amanda West."

I flinched. _How did he know my name?_

"Agent Clinton Barton is a valuable source of information Miss West. You had better hope for his sake he remains so valuable…" I gritted my teeth together. "… who knows what could happen to him if his usefulness expires."

I leapt up and was across the Jet before Loki had a chance to sit back in retreat. My hand found his throat and I slammed his head back into the wall. My other hand burned white hot, I crouched down to look the so-called God in the eye and pointed one finger quite close to his face, "Shut your mouth" I whispered through my teeth. Loki held my stare, amusement in his eyes making me furious. We were frozen there for a moment before I broke away and headed up to the front of the Jet, cooling off.

"Amanda," Steve said, surprised, "are you alright?"

I left out a tense breath, "I will be"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hatred boiled inside me as I stared at the surveillance video. Loki stood infuriatingly still in the center of his cage, arms folded casually behind his back as if his capture hadn't phased him in the slightest.

"Where's Barton?" I growled to Tasha as I began frustratedly pacing back and forth, still glaring at the screen. Tasha didn't answer; I knew she wasn't going to any time soon. She was just as still as Loki, her emotions cloaked deep within. '_Bloody spider_', I thought to myself.

I was getting more agitated by the second. I snarled under my breath "What's he done with Clint? Where is he? If he's been hurt I'll-"

"You'll what?" scoffed Stark "Kill a psychotic Norse god? You're good but you're not that good."

I froze then turned my glare to Stark, balling my hands into fists I started towards him, rage building with every step. "Don't you dare-" Before I could say anything further, Phil caught my arm.

"Leave it Amanda" he said softly. I took a deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth, gently shrugged off Phil and walked out the room.

I heard Tasha and Phil calling after me, but I ignored them; I wasn't in the mood. I stormed through the helicarrier aimlessly, searching for some way to realise my pent up anger. The gym was currently being used for some last minute training for the first timers and if I went in there I'd hurt someone.

I found myself at the end of the hall that led to the new holding cell. My mind was made up when I turned, facing the hall, and marched down towards _him_.

I entered the room silently – keeping my breathing soft as I watched him standing there. I walked to the glass prison, my arms folded in front of me as I waited for him to realise I was there. "Loki" I said, filling my voice with authority.

He spun round, prepared to fight – I saw the crazy on him; the paranoid, fearful, desperate, self preservative psychopath that was inside him. He glared at me, eyes scrutinising every inch of me. Bringing himself to his full height, he stalked over to the other side of the door, "You shouldn't sneak up on a man who just killed 80 people" he snarled, a snide smirk played on his features.

"A man? I was under the belief that you were a god of sorts, was I mistaken?"

He chuckled darkly, "I wouldn't pay insults mortal"

"No," I replied cheerily, "but I would. Now, to business, what are you planning?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Do you think I would just tell you everything as soon as you asked? I knew you humans were stupid, but even you must be able to see that your tactics are doomed to fail"

"Tone down the pessimism there Mr God Man, I'm having a crappy day as is."

"Good to hear it" he snarled.

I mused for a second, "There's something that's bugging me here Rhino – you took out _80_ people easily by yourself in only two days, that's impressive even by my standards, but, for whatever reason, the most dysfunctional team I've ever laid eyes on caught you and lock you up. Now, _that_ makes it look like you were making it easy for us – that makes me think that you _wanted_ us to capture you, which worries me just a little bit"

He turned away from me and chuckled, "I would choose your words carefully, wench"

"Ah – no, I don't take sexist comments from a leather-clad, power hungry, freak in a glass box. If you want my attention try again Jackass"

He chuckled again – it was getting on my nerves, "You have heart" he smirked as he turned back to me "I discovered the same of Agent Barton – he is quite the soldier, isn't he Amanda?"

I slammed my hand off the glass, "What have you done to Clint?!"

"Clint, hmm, yes, Clinton Barton – I believe you know him quite well, Miss West. But what _did_ I do? What did I _do_?""

"_What have you done to him?!_"

"Let's just say I've opened his mind – and then had a rummage inside"

My heart sank, dropped through my chest before it shattered on the floor. "If you've hurt him I will kill you" I whispered, rage burning inside me.

He smiled, "I promise you – he's perfectly healthy"

"He. Had. Better. Be." Loki tilted his head and squinted at me. "What are you staring at?" I snapped.

"You remind me of someone I have not seen in a long time" I glared silently. _What was the point in this?_ "Don't deny that you're curious, Miss West – you want to know who it is, surely"

I stayed silent.

"You continue to remind me of her," the god took a step closer to the glass "my daughter, Hel, seeing as you refuse to ask."

I frowned, not liking what he had to say.

Loki began to pace his cell, eyes remaining fixed on me at all times, "She travelled to this planet many years ago, seduced a man and bore a child that she left here to either grow up without her or die, she didn't care which. She was very talented; capable of magic, extremely quick, intelligent, _ruthless_. From what I've heard, you sound just like her, Miss West."

I released a strained breath. "Agent. _Agent_ West. Stop it. I know what you're implying. Stop it."

"Well, a girl who plays with magic fire and ice, that mimics the appearance and behaviour of my daughter on a planet where those traits are a terrible rarity, has a high likelihood of being a descendant of hers, and therefore, mine" Loki watched as my eyes darted side to side, comprehending what he was saying – he wasn't lying, I would know if he was, I was good at that. But that meant that I was, like, his great granddaughter or something; and that was… _disturbing_.

I turned my back on him (not recommended but he was in a glass box so I guessed I was fine). My brain pounded with possibilities, probabilities and terrifying implications as I tried to calm down. Focusing on breathing exercises, I lost track of time briefly as I wandered to the desks. I stared at the controls without actually seeing them, my mind bubbled over with ridiculous thoughts.

"Are you quite alright? I wouldn't want my newest family member taking a mental break down over her heritage within the first day we met."

Something snapped. Slamming down the control that temporarily opened the door of the cage; I shot out my arm and send a fierce jet of fire at the obnoxious god, sending him stumbling backwards from the door. I charged forward, timing it so that the doors would close directly behind me.

"Get up." I spat, "On your feet!" I halted the jet of fire and stood above him – any skin I could see was tinted blue with patches of angry red where my fire had bit him. I stepped back, letting him get to his feet.

"Now, now Amanda – what do they say, 'family before all others'? No?"

"No." I fired a blade of ice towards him. Bad move. Loki caught the shard and it crumbled in his hand. "Shit"

I tried to dodge around him, but Loki caught my neck and hauled me towards the glass wall. "Ah, wait" I gasped cockily "Touch that glass we're both dead. If you value family as much as you say I suggest you stop there."

He glared at me before throwing me up into the ceiling of the container. I fell back down with a crunch on the steel floor and groaned. Loki started towards me again. I flipped onto my back and kicked him in the stomach, winding him. He was on his knees when I started pelting him with flames again. Somehow he was back on his feet, matching every one of my strikes with another icy one of his own. His skin was blue, his eyes had turned red – Loki looked like some kind of demon. There were burnt patches on his skin and armour but he was healing again so fast.

I snarled as I clambered to my feet, my ribs ached and my head pounded, I was sure my collision with the ceiling had done more damage than I'd like to think. With a more forceful blast of fire followed up directly by a dozen razor sharp shards of ice, I floored Loki. I built up my strength, pouring every ounce of my energy into a fierce orb of intense flames. Loki was slowly getting back to his feet, his breath ragged. As I stared at him over the fire I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in the glass; my black hair flared back from my face; _my_ skin was blue, _my_ eyes were red – I _was_ him.

In shock, I stumbled back, releasing the excessive amount of pent up energy. The shockwave struck me first, flooring me. Loki must have been hit too.

I felt hands on my arms, dragging me backwards. I tried to fight but my arms wouldn't do what I wanted. I tried to scream but my throat closed up. I was helpless.

Then the room around me turned to black.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I groaned and turned my head. I was sore.

"You idiot. You bloody fool." _What?_ "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed"

"Tasha?" I croaked

"Yes, Tasha, who else?"

"What… where am I?"

"Medical. What _were_ you doing in there?"

I groaned, blinking, trying to see the room around me. I was in agony "Fighting with him; what did it look like?" I growled.

"It _looked_ like fire and ice and blood."

Suddenly I remembered what I had looked like when I fought him. My skin, my eyes – I looked like a monster. "Tasha, I need to see the surveillance from the fight"

"What? Why?" Tasha crossed her arms and frowned at me.

"I need to make sure I'm not insane." If I had imagined that reflection I would sign _myself_ in for a psych eval.

Tasha turn around and started typing at the wall computer, a few seconds later she stepped aside to show me the screen and the silent footage began to play. The fight was bloodier than I had realised; I had been bleeding quite heavily. Then I confirmed what I had seen; as soon as I had started building up my energy, my skin began to fade; first to a clinical white then into blue, first pale, then brighter. This time I caught the glint in Loki's eyes, the pleased smirk. I pin-pointed the moment I had seen myself, I released my fire and by the time I had hit the floor my features had returned to normal. I watched as Tasha dragged me out, then I turned away.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tasha's face warp into an emotionless mask, a mask that hid her concern. "Are you going to tell me what happened in there? Or will I ask _him_?"

I glanced up at my friend, "Natasha, please just give me a moment – I just need to… think" after a minute or so I cleared my throat, "I think… Loki is somehow… related to me… like, my great grandfather or something. His daughter had a child that remained on earth, and I _think_ her blood line runs down to me. That's certainly what he was hinting at anyway."

"So your ice and fire, they're because of this heritage?"

"Must be"

"Well that's… unfortunate"

"Ha, thanks – I've just told you that the alien lunatic who's currently trying to take over earth is my granddad and all you've got to say is 'that's unfortunate', thank you _so_ much" I laughed sarcastically.

Tasha smirked, "At least you're taking it well"

"Yeah – it's shock for now, wait until later." I warned sarcastically.

"I'll leave you for Coulson"

I laughed "Poor Phil."

"He had a fit when he saw you after – he did your medical, refused to let anyone else touch you."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "I wasn't too bad was I?"

"You've got a brace for your ribs – two of them are slightly fractured, but other wise it was just stitches and antiseptic cream. You'll have a few good bruises but we've both had worse."

I nodded, "Good to know"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Yes, I took the news that the psycho god of whatever from a planet far, far away was my family very well, but for a few simple reasons. One, he could have easily killed me in there but he didn't, which meant that 'family' was an easy target for me to aim at. The fight between Loki and I had been his chance to see just what I was made of, how I functioned, how my mind worked; to see if I was acceptable to him.

And two, all my life I've lived with the fact that I accidentally killed my only living relatives – now I'm not saying Loki would be coming round for tea on Sundays or anything, but the simple acknowledgment that I still had family left brought such a sense of joy with it that I could barely understand. I guess unless you happened to accidentally burn your parent to death using weird hereditary magic, you don't really understand just how accepting of people you become just to be able to say that you have a pure, proper, genetic family. Even if that's Loki.


	4. Hulk

Another explosion shook the Helicarrier, knocking me to the floor. I shook myself, getting back to my feet. To my left Natasha was partially trapped beneath a fallen beam, I started towards her. "No, get Banner!" She gestured behind me. I nodded, knowing full well she could take of herself.

When I spotted Bruce he was doubled over on the floor, his hands bracing his head. I stumbled as the Helicarrier banked to one side. Finally kneeling by his side, I carefully said, "Bruce? Can you hear me?"

With all the commotion I could barely hear him, "Amanda, please, get away" his voice was shaky, rough.

"It's okay, we just need to get out of here-"

"I can't, you're not... it's not safe..."

I wanted to reach out, hold his hand, but I had the feeling it would be less than helpful. But I was determined. "Bruce, you can do this, it'll be okay, just breathe" His skin was beginning to get tinged with green, the veins on hands and arms straining. Another explosion knocked me to my knees, "Bruce please, we have to move – it's not safe here. Bruce"

"Amanda" he begged.

The Helicarrier banked again and a beam above our heads became loose. I screamed Bruce's name and tried to pull him out of the way, falling back against the metal floor. I expected to hear the beam hit the floor, expected to feel it shake the room, expected pain. I had closed my eyes instinctively, but now that all I had expected had fallen flat, I opened them again and... oh.

The Hulk towered above me, the metal beam in one hand as he hunched over me protectively. I took a steadying breath. "Bruce...?" I propped myself up on my elbows, a few centimetres from his face. From where I lay I could see Natasha – she'd gotten to her feet now, mostly unharmed.

"Manda" a gruff voice brought me back to the situation at hand. The Hulk tossed the beam aside, now kneeling in front of me, staring at me like he'd never seen me before – maybe that was right, could the Hulk see what Bruce Banner saw from inside him? He knew my name, so perhaps he could... "Manda hurt" he stated.

"Wh...? Hurt? I'm _not_ hurt"

Hulk shook his head, reaching out carefully and raising my arm to examine. To my surprise, he was right – I must have cut my arm at some point since we came under attack, my arm was scratched up a bit, blood trailing down my arm. "Manda _is_ hurt" he told me sternly.

I nodded slowly. I knew I should be afraid, I should be scared with _the_ Hulk holding me, with him being so close to me... but I wasn't. "Okay, yeah – okay"

_CRASH._

My head spun round and I spotted two younger agents staring in fright. _"What are you doing you idiots?! Get away now!"_ Tasha was screaming at them, and I wondered for a second whether they were more afraid of Hulk or her.

They began to back away, guns raised, terror in their eyes. Hulk straightened up, growling now. The second one panicked, I could see it happening, but I was too slow – Hulk took a step forward and the agent began to fire. "NOOO!" I screamed, but it was too late.

Hulk stood between me and them, roaring furiously. "STOP!" I screamed, but no-one was listening. Hulk charged. The agents ran. I looked to Tasha and she looked at me. Scrambling to my feet, I sprinted after Hulk, Nat just behind him.

_Don't let him hurt anyone, please don't let him hurt anyone... And don't let anyone hurt him._


	5. Flying No More

"We've got Stark up top-" Steve was cut off by the sound of a motorbike engine. I spun round in the direction the noise had come from.

Bruce.

"Well this all seems horrible" he said.

I grinned, "I've seen worse" I said as I walked towards him.

"Yeah, sorry about that" he dismounted the bike.

"Nah, don't worry about it – worse can be helpful" I pulled him into a hug and whispered, "Good to see you made it, Bruce" turning back to team I grinned, "Right, so, what's the plan?" Then I saw the child from across the street. And the approaching Chutauri. He couldn't have been more than four years old, standing by himself, staring up at the Chutauri warriors that were flying towards him. He was tiny out there in the open; no cover, no protection – he was going to get killed. "Everyone get out of the way!"

The group scattered behind me as I sprinted towards the child, watching as the Chutauri flew closer. I saw them firing down the street – I was so close. I threw myself down onto one knee, clutching the boy in my arms; I twisted, pulling his small form round away from the advancing aliens, behind my leg and body. He went to wrap his little arms around my neck, "No" I said firmly, "arms down, you've got to hide okay?"

He looked at me with big dark eyes then nodded, holding his hand to his own chest before cuddling into mine. Then I was hit. My whole body convulsed and I bit back the scream that rose in my throat. I could feel it burning, all down my arm, down my leg and my side – agony not unlike fire; not my fire though, not _kind_ fire. My arms stayed firm around the boy; I was so paranoid about crushing him.

The Chutauri began to pass above us. I relaxed slightly with an inward cringe as my whole side throbbed in pain. I searched the street fore the other Avengers but they had began the fight against the aliens elsewhere; then I spotted Cap. "Do you see that man?" I asked the boy through clenched teeth.

He looked "The man with the shield?"

"Yes" I nodded, "We're going to run to him when I say, okay? You've got to run, run really fast alright?" There was no way I would be able to carry him. My leg was in agony as it supported me, shifting onto both feet I kept a brave face.

"Okay" the boy nodded.

"Right." I gulped, there was a gap in the Chutauri swarm, "Three, two, one – run!"

I clutched his hand and ran to Steve, pushing to boy into his arms. "Get him to safety" I panted through gritted teeth.

"Amanda?! Are you okay?" His eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nearly snapped, "Get on with it"

"And what about you?"

"I need to get to Loki"

Steve frowned, "Loki? Why you? What about Thor?"

I grunted as I shifted from one foot to the other, "Loki's made it pretty clear he has issues with Thor." I looked at Steve, still standing there with the boy in his arms, "Well? What are you waiting for? Go!"

The look Steve gave me would burn into my memory – a look that said 'I know what you're going to do and you're going to regret it'. And of course, he was right.

Steve ran off to get the child to safety and I climbed up on top of a nearby car through my pain, waiting for the last of the Chutauri. The final group was proceeding towards me, I braced myself and I set my eyes on the flying machine. I leapt up into the air, catching hold of the Chutauri flier, ignoring my agony. New York blurred past me as I dragged myself up behind the second Chutauri with my one good arm. Silently I stood behind the alien warrior, quickly freezing my arm to my side and across my stomach, preventing me from accidentally moving it and hurting myself further. Without limiting manoeuvrability as far as possible, I iced over the wound area, numbing it. With my remaining hand I formed a blade of ice and promptly stuck it through the Chutauri's neck. It died _almost_ instantly, twitching as I threw it off of the flier.

One down.

I watched for a moment as the Chutauri fell to the street before I turned back, straight into the vice-like grip of the remaining alien. With a single hand around my throat, the Chutauri lifted me from the deck of the flier. I beat against the alien's arm and lashed out with my good leg as I started to choke. I could feel the blood pounding in my head as my vision began to blur. Just as I was coming close to blacking out, I stretched out my hand as close to the Chutauri as I could get and blasted a jet of fire straight into its face.

I hit the deck, gasping for breath, clinging to the ridges of the Chutauri flier with one hand as my vision came back to me. Soon I wish it hadn't; as my eyes adjusted I saw in full gory detail the half burnt corpse of the alien warrior. "Lovely" I muttered as I stood up. I scanned over the controls; there were two large sensor panels on either side of the central board, and, if I was right…

Carefully detaching my arm from my side, I pressed my hands into the panels and steered the machine towards Stark Tower, where I'd seen Loki last. This flying thing _was_ pretty cool. I turned slightly too fast and the Chutauri corpse fell from the flier into the side of a building; _oops_. I brought the machine to a stop and stepped off onto the damaged floor. I looked around carefully, surveying the wreckage. If Loki wasn't here-

Strong arms gripped me from behind, around my throat and digging into my injured side. I screeched but I was held tighter. "Stop!" I hissed, "Stop!"

"Hold still you little bitch" I stopped struggling.

"Loki" I breathed, "let me go – you need to stop this"

"It cannot be stopped now, it is too late" he growled.

"Loki we can talk about this. There has to be something"

"No."

"Loki, please" I snarled, becoming frustrated, "we are _family_, you and I, do it for me, for family…"

His voice softened, "I cannot close the portal." His arms loosened slightly but not enough to let me escape; he had never been strangling me but the pressure between his hand and my neck lessened to the point where I could barely feel him against my skin – he was gentle now, kind almost.

"What about the Chutauri? Could you stop them?"

Loki hissed quietly, eventually he answered quickly, "The main ship has a hyper spacial link to each warrior. Destroy the ship – kill them all" he ordered into my ear.

"Thank you"

Loki let go of me, stepping away. I turned to look at him and saw how fragile he looked. "Amanda, child," Loki said quietly, "you need to leave – if anyone sees you with me the end result would be… _violent_, you understand. Have faith in yourself, Agent Amanda West"

"Loki…" he was different now – still crazed and twitchy, but he held himself differently, looked at me differently; there was a guilt in his eyes, and pity and a longing that had not been there before… eyes that were now bright green instead of the icy blue they had been before. I remembered Clint's eyes when he had been possessed with the power of the sceptre; realisation suddenly hit me.

"Go Amanda" He said softly, "there is more to come"

Reluctantly I nodded, turning away from him and returning to the Chutauri's vehicle. As I forced it into the air again I looked back at the beaten God and muttered the words, "Family before all else"

Loki grinned as he heard me, and I understood that there was much more of this story we were yet to uncover. I flew out away from Stark Tower, scanning the ground below for my fellow Avengers. Into my ear piece I said, "We need to destroy the ship. Does anyone hear me? The main ship – we need to-"

From out of nowhere another Chutauri warrior began firing at me. Loosing my balance momentarily I stumbled back and the flier suddenly veered upward and accelerated violently. I fell again, hitting metal hard. I shook it off but my right side stung like I'd fallen into an electric fence. I scraped one foot against the flier, trying to get some kind of purchase on the smooth metal before I couldn't hold on any more.

Foolishly, I glanced down – the top of Stark Tower was shrinking just off to my left. I closed my eyes. I began to panic, gasping for breath, my heart began to race. I sensed another presence – I opened my eyes again. The Chutauri looked at me, turned its gun towards the flier I had commandeered and fired.

I breathed in.

_Calm_

I let go.

The machine exploded above me. I watched as it got smaller above my head. Pieces of metal rained down on me. I brought my arm over my face. It was silent, almost tranquil. Then I realised; I realised I was falling. I was falling and it was _me_ that was going down, down, down to meet the Earth again. And what could I do? In truth – nothing. My own calmness surprised me. I was going to die now, and I couldn't stop it, and for whatever reason, that was okay. I closed my eyes, thought of my family, my friends; Phil… Bruce… Natasha… Clint…

My head hurt. I was so cold. I closed my eyes. I breathed out.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

_Steve Rogers had gotten the child to safety along with several other civilians. Coming round an over-turned car he saw the explosion in the sky, and then the small form falling from it – it definitely wasn't a Chutauri._

_Rogers did a quick head count: Hulk, Stark, Barton, Romanoff, Thor… so all that was left was;_

"Amanda_" Steve began to run in her direction. Even if he caught her at ground level the impact could kill her. He'd been trying to contact her through the com system, but the radiation from the Tesseract must have been disrupting the signal. Looking for the next closest Avenger, Cap yelled, "Hulk!"_

_The Other Guy turned round._

"_Help!" Hulk thundered over to join Captain America. "It's Amanda" Cap pointed to the frail body that was falling closer by the second, "Throw me, I can catch her." He prayed he was right._

"_Manda" Hulk looked up at the young woman for a moment before nodding._

"_Right," Steve braced himself, "Go"_

_Hulk grabbed Steve round the torso and launched him like a javelin to intercept Amanda's fall. By some miracle, the timing was perfect; in mid-air Steve caught the agent, twisting so that his back – and shield – were towards the ground; he wrapped Amanda in his arms, holding her close to prevent her getting hurt any more. Cap brought his knees up to hold her in place, her smallness only emphasised as she was held to his chest._

_They landed hard onto a car, crushing its roof down into the seats. He rested his head back and relaxed his grip on the young agent that now lay on top of him. Hesitantly, he checked her pulse – it was weak, but constant. Steve sighed in relief before trying to examine her wounds._

_Soon Hulk stood over them, a panicked look on his face, "Manda"_

"_She's okay" Steve told him, trying to regain his breath that had left him on impact with the car. "We need to get her to safety"_

_Hulk nodded then scooped Amanda up carefully in one hand, making the young agent look like a rag doll. He held Amanda to his chest and leapt off to take her to Thor, who would deliver her to the security of the Helicarrier before returning to the battle. If not for anything else, they were now fighting for Amanda West._


	6. index

This story is one of a series. In chronological order they are;

\- The Adventures of Young Amanda West

\- A West Wind Comes Blowing

\- Avengers Assemble

\- Even Agents Need Time To Recover

\- Agents have Nightmares Too

\- He's Not Dead (Agents of Shield)

\- Lorelei (Agents of Shield)

\- The Winter Soldier

\- A Tattoo For The Memories (Agents of Shield)

\- Coffee and Questions

\- Happy Birthday

I'll update this as more stories are published :)

Also, there is 'Suffering Through' which is set after Avengers Assemble and varies in time setting, and 'Tales from Avengers Tower' which is set after all of the cuurent films and varies in time setting


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